Crazy People (1990) Poster

(1990)

User Reviews

Review this title
36 Reviews
Sort by:
Filter by Rating:
7/10
A "video nice" to counteract all the video nasties.
Guy Chapman2 April 2002
This is not the most intellectually stimulating film ever made. Nor is it the most believable plot - but it is funny, whimsical and charming, and occasionally surreal. If you want a film to brighten up your life, this fits the bill just nicely. The supporting cast are also very engaging, being far more than just a backdrop to Moore and Hannah. I like it a lot.
14 out of 15 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
5/10
Half-"Crazy"....
Mister-618 December 1999
I'm kind of stuck. Half of this movie is the most hilarious I have seen this decade, the other half I could very well have lived without.

"Crazy People" talks about two types of nut cases: ones that are committed to institutions and the others who think they are normal and live on the other side of the wall. Of course, the main crux of the story is when Moore's life takes a nose-dive and he cracks, writing brutally savage ads for some very well-known products ("Quaker Oats - How does it taste? Who knows, but at least the BOX is cute"). Of course, nothing tops the tag line he makes for that horror movie "The Freak" or the ticket lady's comment about this movie later on.

His bosses put him away and then, when his printed ads catch fire and turn advertising on its ear, they recruit him to write more. Only this time, he gets the others in the asylum with him to write ads, too.

Now, this part is funny.

What isn't funny is when they start to take the story seriously and try to shoehorn drama into parts where it doesn't make every single person out as some level of wacko. Drama has its place but not in a movie that takes potshots at Metamucil.

Moore is really great, this is his last really funny role since "Arthur". Reiser has some good scenes as does Hannah, Walsh, Paymer and Ruehl and then there's the ads. My gosh, has there ever been anything ever written as funny as these? Not since "Mad Magazine", really.

"Crazy People" is at least half great; the craziest things in it, though, are the people who thought it should have serious parts.

Five stars for "Crazy People" - watch it for the ads.
12 out of 15 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
6/10
Worth the dollar I paid for it
skp1411 May 2006
My brother and I spotted this when we were renting a movie in one of those big discount bins of random movies. We sometimes enjoy watching stupid movies just for the hell of it and thought thats what it was going to turn out to be. We were pleasantly surprised with about the first half of the movie. Take out the throughly unnecessary love story and this movie could be an hour shorter and would probably get a much higher rating. Now I sometimes watch it, fast forwarding through the tedious bits. I would recommend it, but I don't know that I would pay more than a coupla bucks for the pleasure of watching it. It's the kind of movie that you get excited about showing friends, and glow with pride at finding such a great movie for a good part of but then sit around uncomfortably for stretches of it because you know they are inexcusably boring.
5 out of 6 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
This movie won't just make you laugh, it'll make you stop breathing and die.
malkavthejester25 May 2004
Well, I almost did. The first time I saw Crazy People, I thought it was a work of comic genius. Now, several years later, I still do.

Emory and Steve (Dudley Moore and Paul Reiser) are ad executives who need to come up with new advertisements in a hurry. When Emory's relationship falls apart, he becomes disillusioned with the whole business of lying and makes up some honest ads. As his partner, Steve is naturally concerned, and has him committed to a mental hospital. While they're doing that, the honest ads accidentally get printed. People everywhere are told that they should fly United Airlines because, quote, "Most of our passengers get there alive." This is just one of the hilarious and truthful ads we get to see in the film.

When the honest ads become wildly popular, the head of the ad agency wants Emory to come back to work. He doesn't want to leave the hospital, so the members of his group therapy group become ad writers to help him. As it turns out, the lunatics are very good at writing honest commercials. The New York tourism campaign was particularly good. Ad #1 told us that "It's not as filthy as you think," whereas Ad #2 assured us that "There were fewer murders last year."

There is a bit of tension in the middle of the movie, but I'm not going to spoil that for those people who haven't seen it yet. Trust me, it's worth the rental price. If you're looking for a good laugh, get ahold of this movie. If you're looking for intelligent discourse on the subject of dishonesty in society or mankind's relative dishonesty with himself or others, rent something else along with this movie.

One more ad, in case you're not totally convinced yet: "Metamucil: It helps you go to the toilet. If you don't use it, you'll get cancer and die."

Go on. You know you want to. Okay, go to the toilet first. But then, rent this movie!
25 out of 28 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
7/10
A movie that couldn't be made in 2019.
dissaid27 June 2019
You have to have a sense of humor. If you do, you will laugh your ass off.

Daryl Hanna is gorgeous also.
1 out of 1 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
7/10
Dudley's Last Decent Hollywood Outing.
screenman10 February 2008
Warning: Spoilers
The premise of this movie is simple and hilarious. Moore play an advertising executive who experiences a minor nervous breakdown. Unlike 'Reginald Perrin', who fakes his suicide, Moore's character has a falling-out with deceit. He begins composing advertisements that tell the truth.

And this is where the comedy really takes off. Moore's character is confined to an institution, but in the meantime his spoof adverts are accidentally sent to press. As things turn out; the truth has more appeal than lies (why do ad-men and politicians find that so hard to accept?). In the asylum, the plot enters its 'second phase', as we are introduced to a bunch of people with all manner of comic and tragic conditions. It is they who take up the thread of humour in this part.

It is also here that things go awry. A romantic sub-plot is farcically attempted by the introduction Of Darly Hannah as a love interest for Moore. Like him; she has also been committed for some reason.

The story then struggles between these two digressing strands and the whole plot is stretched too thin to cover them. Dudley Moore was 55 by the time he worked this movie, and much too old to play a romantic lead with a 20-something inmate. Their relationship begins to look uncomfortably like abuse. Darly Hannah has a wonderful face and figure, but not much else. Her coy-and-vulnerable-beauty is a role she would reprise to the letter in 'Splash' with Tom Hanks.

There is a happy ending as you would expect; but by then, so many wheels have come off that you no longer take the joke seriously any more. It's a pity John Guilgud wasn't used instead of Ms Hannah. He could have been an insane politician turned philosophical mentor, or some such thing. The plot would have stayed on-track and the gags could have kept on coming. The pairing had already been shown to be a winning formula in 'Arthur'. Bob Hope and Bing Crosby demonstrated that such a franchise could work in the longer-term with their 'Road To...' series.

For the most part, this is well worth a watch. Just be ready to make some coffee or get a beer or something when the maudlin and implausible romance takes over. Unless you're a fan of Ms Hannah's physical charms, that is.

This was pretty well Dudley Moore's last Hollywood outing. If he'd been 20 years younger I think he would have made the ideal candidate for 'Splash'. But the studios needed a younger vulnerable-funny-guy, and Tom Hanks seems to have been Moore's natural successor. He wasn't as funny, but he wasn't so short and had youth on his side. He was also a yank.

If you think this is good, then try 'Bedazzled'. You'll see Cuddly Dudley both at his most endearing, and at the high point of his pairing with Peter Cook.
1 out of 1 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
5/10
The ads are fun
SnoopyStyle4 February 2018
Emory Leeson (Dudley Moore) and Stephen Bachman (Paul Reiser) are writing partners in a New York ad agency. Frustrated Emory develops writer's block after his wife leaves him taking everything. He's tired of lying and his painfully honest ads infuriate their boss Drucker (J.T. Walsh). Bachman sends him to a psychiatric retreat in the care of Dr. Liz Baylor (Mercedes Ruehl). His ads are accidentally released and become hugely successful. Drucker sends Bachman to get him back but he has fallen for beautiful Kathy Burgess (Daryl Hannah) and the relaxed lifestyle. He and the group of misfits start writing highly successful ads.

The ads are fun. The idea of satire on the advertising industry has promise. The execution has some fun moments with the crazy people group. The romance however has no heat. Hannah is nice but there is little chemistry. The Drucker villain is too broad. The satire has no bite. It's not horrible but it's forgettable.
2 out of 2 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
6/10
Boxy, but good.....
FlashCallahan23 June 2012
Warning: Spoilers
Emory works in advertising, and is beginning to crack-up.

His latest idea is honesty which doesn't go down too well with the boss, so Emory is sent to a psychiatric hospital to 'recover'.

Meanwhile, back at the office, Emory's work is accidentally sent to the printers.

His ads are a huge success. But now Emory has fallen for Kathy (another patient) and so doesn't want to leave.....

This is one of those simple movies, that disappeared without a trace, but is funny and endearing, thanks to the characters and some of the ads on display.

The story is simple, it's good versus bad, the rich versus the insane, and just when you think they are all on a par, the rich people take all the credit and leave the insane, well, sane.

But then it all goes well at the end. Films like this are ten a penny, but thanks to Moore and the writers, this film is very witty, occasionally verging on silly with the use of profanity (there was really no need for it).

The only problem with this, and it is a big problem, the relationship with him and Hannah is boring and pointless, and slows the whole film down.

But if you want a laugh at genius ads, and random lines, you can do a lot worse.

Plus J.T Walsh is brilliant.
1 out of 3 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
5/10
Snickerific, but not laugh-tacular
vernyaon3 March 2006
Delightful as it is to see a movie featuring a tall woman and a short man, Crazy People sacrificed much of its potential hilarity for a schmultzy ending. While the outlandish advertisements were funny, and still make for great interjections today, Dudley Moore's English exasperation wore thin faster than Daryl Hannah's croaky optimism. I was curious as to how a movie can jacknife between foul language and sickly sweet romantic tension so frequently. The antics of the other mental patients were occasionally funny, but there could have been a lot more character development on their part. I guess Crazy People was intended to be taken lightly, and - at times - it is an amusing satire on advertising (but unfortunately does not even attempt to make fun of psychological institutions). The brightness and lightness helped keep this one afloat... but just.
2 out of 7 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
7/10
You had me at hello.
theconformist200016 September 2006
Dudley Moore, a man, left short again. Unfortunately for Dud, the writers didn't lose much sleep drafting some of the patchy story lines, in this average advertising/mental home comedy romp (is it still safe to say that? lol).

However there are many redeemable appearances, most notably from, Mr George Cartelli.

Hello. Hello how you doin? His expertly delivered catchphrases will live on, in my life, and the lives of my many future grandchildren. And how could they not. The man who has said nothing but Hello since 1977, comes alive in what is without question, the funniest 'crazy' character to come out of the silver screen, .er...ever. Are the rumours of TV networks fighting over Cartelli's pilot sitcom true?
0 out of 0 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
1/10
Not Too Enough Crazy (dvd)
leplatypus16 April 2005
This film analyzes the creative impulse for advertising & finds it in a asylum...

Don't worry: it is not a psychological study but a comedy. The only problem is that I don't laugh often: maybe with the taglines of the ads, the performance of David "Hello" Paymer...

How much the leading actor (Dudley Moore), the endless casting of J.T. Walsh as a bad guy, or a bad script (I didn't see much insanity from the patients) have to do with my dozing, it's hard to tell.

In conclusion, an average movie where the only flavors are its 80's spirit in America and Hannah in a romantic character.
2 out of 13 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
8/10
A fine fun movie
Maisa111122 October 2001
This is just one of those movies that you can just enjoy. A very pleasing movie with a ton of memorable lines. If only advertising was really like this. See "The Freak", this movie will not only scare you, it will f**k you up for life! A classic.
15 out of 19 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
7/10
Witty farce comedy approaching the misleading world of publicity !!!
elo-equipamentos30 October 2020
The British comedian Dudley Moore has a substantial success at America with his batty humor, Crazy People came out on a decaying phase, on early 90' his latest breath at Hollywood, the starting point is utterly challenging, mocking with the influencing factor of the liars of the deceiving publicity system, who try out by any means sell a product promising the unattainable, but when the advertisement executive Emory Leeson (Dudley Moore) makes a non-orthodox marketing campaign underpinned on the truth, they found he mad, sending him to a mental institution, anyhow their adds went to the media and made a huge success, there Emory meets many crazy men and a gorgeous girl Kathy (Daryll Hannah), somehow he realizes that crazy guys have a creative side to draw up publicity on his own terms, a typical farce on Hollywood formula, too sugary, appealing and dated, however artsy, some laughs here and there with sharp dialogues, a villain Boss, and happy ending, just an average presentation!!

Resume:

First watch: 1992 / How many: 3 / Source: TV-DVD / Rating: 7
0 out of 0 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
4/10
too talky and slow (3.5/10)
disdressed1220 August 2008
i wanted to like this movie,and i really tied.but in the end,i just couldn't justify it.it's billed as a comedy,except it's not funny.or even amusing.i will say that the two lead actors,Daryl Hannah and Dudley Moore are appealing,as are their characters.but the movie is just too slow and talky for my tastes.and there's also too much swearing for no good reason.it doesn't add anything to the movie,and it doesn't really have any relevance.the movie has an ensemble cast of well knowns from the time period(in this case,1990),but they can't save this movie.it's not quite horrible,but it certainly isn't very good,either.for me,Crazy people is a 3.5/10
0 out of 5 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
Forget France - Come to Greece. We're Nicer.
jimjer3 March 1999
I saw this movie back when it was in theatres, and busted up laughing when I saw it, it can make an excellent addition to your home video collection. It makes you wonder whether advertisers in real life should start acting like the ones in the film... "Forget France - Come to Greece. We're Nicer."
12 out of 14 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
10/10
Brutal, Sacrilegious, and Funny as Hell
hatey431 December 2012
The most subversive comedy ever to come out of Hollywood. It absolutely torches capitalism and the empty-headed consumerism that is its driving force. The first 20 minutes are easily the film's strongest, taking on the status quo and delivering a hydrogen truth-bomb right on top of Madison Avenue's best and brightest.

The main criticism of Crazy People - the unnecessary romantic sub-plot - can easily be overlooked when compared to how solid it is at its core. There is real value to be found here, which is not something that can be said for most pieces of entertainment.

Roger Ebert said it "has more really big laughs in it than any other unsuccessful comedy I've seen." Entertainment Weekly gave it a "D-" calling it out for "unintentionally celebrating" advertising. Vincent Canby of the NY Times also hated it to pieces, which really rubbed me the wrong way until I noticed that he felt the same way about both Rain Man and One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest. (Whatever, Vince - if you wanted to see people eating their own poop in the quest for realistic depictions of asylums, you were squarely in the minority.) I feel that Variety hit the nail on the head with their brief synopsis: "Crazy People combines a hilarious dissection of advertising with a warm view of so-called insanity." Hollywood's daily V-rag also noted that two weeks into shooting, two big changes were made: Dudley Moore replaced John Malkovich, and writer/director Mitch Markowitz lost the directing gig to Tony Bill. Not really relevant here, but interesting.

I know this wasn't the best review, but I'm not a professional writer and don't have an editor. I hope you find it adequate (or even helpful).
4 out of 4 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
I laughed until I stopped
ccdesan5 November 2004
Truth in advertising... if only it were so! No, it's not the slickest film and the performances are just a bit flat, but there's a lot of good material to work with. The "R" rating is for a lot of scattered profanity (which really isn't necessary, but.. wait! wait! here's a slogan for Hollywood screenwriters: "We're really stupid dullards, but we say 'F---' a lot so you'll think we're smart!"), but if you can stand it, this movie has a lot of funny moments. Darryl Hannah playes a cute dysfunctional inmate who falls for a stressed-out and temporarily committed Dudley Moore - there's a lot stolen from "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" here, but it's entertaining enough that you shouldn't mind. Worth watching at least once.
10 out of 14 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
8/10
Witty and charming
mikemikeparker17 January 2019
I can't believe that this has a rating of 5.9 on IMDB! It's a very witty, gentle film with some great actors in support and Dudley Moore at his relaxed best. The patients are treated with sympathy and understanding and the love story is charming. Best of all are the advertising slogans: 'Buy Volvo: they're boxy.' Wonderful.
3 out of 3 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
Rent This Movie. It's Corny, But It's Good.
massadvj26 July 1999
"Crazy People" is about an advertising executive who goes nuts and starts writing "honest" television commercials, as opposed to the puffery and outright lies we have come to know and expect. Naturally, they lock him up. But, lo and behold, the honest approach actually works, so the agency enlists the help of the entire population of the mental hospital to write ads.

The ads themselves are hilarious, as are some of the scenes. There is one very funny scene in which calloused and savvy advertising execs try to write honest ads, but find they are too jaded.

The film could have done without a subplot involving a romance between Dudley Moore and Daryl Hannah. Other than that, it is definitely worth your time.***
7 out of 9 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
9/10
Hilarious
artbyshan18 December 2004
This is in my opinion Dudley Moore's funniest movie. However, the cast of characters in this movie also aid in helping with the laugh's. Of course the advertisement's (Designed to be brutally honest about products/services) that are created by these members of a mental hospital are the highlight of this film. Even though the advertisement's probably would not work in real life and would probably cause consumer outrage in this politically correct society we live in today,(e.g., Visit New York it's not as filthy as you think), it makes for some good laughs. I highly recommend this movie for those that enjoy a good comedy.
8 out of 12 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
10/10
Homerun
mailofthefuture5 April 2021
I just re-watched this in 2021 for the first time since the early 1990s. It is laugh out loud hilarious, I had literal tears running down my face the entire movie from opening scene to end. Hilariously heartwarming!!
4 out of 5 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
10/10
Hello Hello Hello you should watch it wherever you go :-) :-)
Dr-Moviecriticdbest25 February 2016
This movie is incredibly funny when the Hello song is verbalized (and it is never done enough times for me:-) I like the plot and all the characters! It is quite emotional and extremely funny!! I believe (unlike most people who have not seen it or have no sense of humor or emotion) this movie should be rated as a classic comedy! However it is not shown more than once a decade on the all of the 129 movie channels I am able to view!! I love this movie... Hello Hello Hello:-) I will see this whenever I can...Hello, Hello, Hello...I will love it wherever I go. If you miss this movie tomorrow you won't see it for nearly a decade. Oh well just rent it and watch it and you will be delighted!!
2 out of 2 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
10/10
"Who here wants to be a fire truck?"
caschiffler4 February 2014
Warning: Spoilers
Crazy People was a really funny movie. Dudley Moore plays a man who works at an advertising agency and it is his job to come up with ads for companies to run.

The problem is that he starts to go nuts and has a huge breakdown because he wrestles with the morals of what he is doing, that is to say he gets tired of lying to everyone through his ads and starts telling the truth. A lot of the ads he makes are really funny and they end up going into magazines and onto television without his bosses knowing, so that when they are discovered he gets fired and sent to live in an insane asylum because they assume he's crazy.

While living there he meets Daryl Hannah who he falls for and a lot of other nice people with mental problems, and when his ads are surprisingly a huge hit his company wants him to come back to work, but he wants to take all his new friends along for the ride.

"Who here wants to be a fire truck?"

Big laughs in this movie!
2 out of 2 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
How COME???
airodyssey30 May 1999
This is definitely one of the movies that portrays the best the way advertising should be... or shouldn't be! It made me laugh a lot. My favorite slogan from all is "Come In The Bahamas" :-)
6 out of 10 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
8/10
I'd Go To The Institution To Meet Daryl Hannah!!!!
PredragReviews1 November 2016
"Crazy People" takes an amusing look at the Advertising Industry. How I wish the hilarious commercials and billboards in this film were real! The basic premise of this film is that an advertising executive, Emery (played by Dudley Moore), decides that he wants to be honest and stop lying to the public. He is sent to a mental hospital, and thought to have had a nervous breakdown, when he presents his newest brainstorms to his boss. In the meantime, his ads get printed in error, which are an overnight sensation. The CEO of the advertisement company decides that Emery is an advertising genius and the fun begins, as Emery and his fellow mental patients write the most hilarious commercials you can imagine. There are some silly parts to this film, but you will not be able to stop laughing at the ads written by the crazy people. Darryl Hannah also stars in this film. In addition, there is a great character in this film that is a particular favorite of mine. I refer to him as the "Hello" man. He is one of the mental patients who writes commercials. He resembles Larry of the Three Stooges and his favorite word is "Hello". I won't spoil it for you, but keep your eye on him, he is a riot. As the credits are rolling at the end of this film, you will see words to the "Hello Song" (sung by the "Hello" man) with bouncing ball on the words, so you can sing along. Very funny!

For anyone who is in the marketing or advertising business, it's hysterical - the fact that mental asylum residents can produce more effective ads than most of the art directors at the agency is a riot. This movie is full of fun, and will have you remembering a few clever lines. I enjoyed this movie for its advertisements which show the power of truth. The script gives Moore's supporting cast some definite pathologies, but doesn't make them pitiable or outright laughable. Even if this light film falls out of your head, the sympathy given the "crazy people" will stick with you about as long as the catchy ideas they dream up.

Overall rating: 8 out of 10.
1 out of 1 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
An error has occured. Please try again.

See also

Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews


Recently Viewed